From Behind The Darkness
by Vibrant Feathers
Summary: Mizuko and Sasuke were best friends before she moved away. She comes back to notice things aren't quite like they were before. The boy closest to her has taken to the shadows. Can she bring the sunshine before it consumes him?
1. The Beginning

**OKAY! Hello, Hello, hello! This is Shizu-chan! I decide to write something on my own and no this is not the story Yumi-chan was talking about in the blog-like thing. That will be coming out soon so watch out. It will be called "****Deja Vu****".**

**The flashback is when they were 7 years old. This whole first chapter is the prologue. The main characters name is Mizuko, okay? You will find out more about her as the story progresses.**

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_**Mizuko's POV**_

_I was lying in the grass, alone. When suddenly, I saw him running towards me, panting. "Mizuko-chan! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Why are you all the way out here!?" That little raven-haired boy stared at me worry reflecting in his eyes_

"_Sasuke-kun... hi..." I said as I looked back down to the freshly trimmed grass._

"_I saw boxes in front of your house! What's going on?" He asked, still with a worried glint in his innocent onyx eyes. _

_"Sasuke... It's my family..." I hesitated. I could hardly stand it._

_"Say it. It can't be that bad!" He smiled, so unaware of what I was about to do._

_"We're moving..." _

_"What!? Why?" Sasuke gaped. His face contorted with anguish and confusion._

_"I don't know. But I don't want to go!" I said raising my voice. I was so angry with my parents. Why did I have to move?_

_He stayed silent, looking down to the ground as well. He then looked back up at me with the same optimistic smile he always gave me whenever I was with him. I loved it when he did that._

_"It's not that... bad... Your gonna come back to visit sometimes, right?" _

_"... I don't know if I can..." It hurt so much._

_He stared at me but didn't stop smiling. This confused me greatly. It must have showed because he chuckled and grabbed my hand._

_"Then we spend what time we have left together!" he exclaimed as he pulled me up onto my feet. _

_"But I'm leaving tomorrow!" _

_"Then we spend a whole day together! Come! It'll be really fun!" He started to take off, dragging me close behind, a small smile planted on my face. _

_**The Next Day**_

_It was 6:30 pm and we were just about ready to leave. Everything was going too fast. Sasuke was waiting with you so he could say goodbye. He was so sweet. I was going to miss him._

_"Mizuko. Let's go!" My dad called. Was it already time? No, it couldn't be! I wanted more time! I __**needed**__ more time!_

_"Yes Father... Bye, Sasuke..." I couldn't believe it. This was the end. Sasuke had a frown, rather than his usual smile. It made me feel horrible._

_"Uh... yeah... b-bye..."_

_His brother, Itachi, was coming up behind us. Sasuke talked about him all the time. Itachi was his idol._

_"Sasuke. Father wants you home, now." He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, making look at him, still frowning._

_"Okay Brother. I just have to do one more thing. Mizuko... There is something I have to say." He stepped closer and then did something unexpected. I was in total shock._

_He had leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek, before stepping back, pink streaking across his pale face._

_"Come back to visit sometime!" He waved._

_Overcoming the shock, the corners of my lips drew up. His lips were soft and timid. Just as I thought. I had wanted for him to do that for months now._

_"Bye!" I waved back and walked away with my family, but not before returning his sweet kiss with one as equally sugary._

_**A Year Later**_

_It was very late at night as I lay down in my bed, gazing up at the dull, white ceiling. Sleep would not take me into it's dark arms. I sat up and made my way into the hallway. I heard a mumbling coming from my kitchen. I silently crouched at the bottom of the staircase, eyes fixed in it's direction. Both my Mother and Father had solemn looks on their faces before Father finally spoke up._

_"By the brother?"_

_"Yes. Uchiha Itachi." Mother replied quietly, glancing up for only a short moment. "Just a week ago..."_

_"That's hard to believe... That Konoha's strongest clan... were all... killed."_

_I couldn't believe my ears. Itachi? I didn't want to listen anymore. I __**couldn't**__ listen anymore. I dashed upstairs and threw my face into my pillow, losing all feeling. I was so numb that I did not feel the hot tears spill over, to stream down my face._

_"All except... Uchiha Sasuke"_

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**How do you like it, huh? Yeah, it sucks... SORRY! TT IM SO SORRY!**

**Sorry for that... bye!**

**Oh yeah!**

**This was edited by Yumi-chan!**


	2. The Meeting

**Hello! Chappie number 2! Again this is edited and co-written by Yumi-chan! Enjoy!**

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**Mizuko's POV**

I walked through those gates for the first time in a long time. A cool sensation ran down my spine. I was exhilerated to finally be back in the place where I grew up, my home. My real home. Emotions were trying their hardest to escape from the cage I had trapped them in. Many of them were happy.

But I also had a horrible feeling. One in which was tearing me apart. I was planning on seeing _him_... but_ he_... was dead. Killed, along with the rest of his family, by his own brother. It made me sick to the stomach.

Nonetheless, I walked around with a small yet cheerful smile because I was back in the place I could never let go of. It held so many memories; happy, sad, and confusing. But what I held closest to me, was the day I left. It was a combination of all three along with some other emotions.

I strolled along the side of the road, anxiously examining my old village. It hadn't changed a bit. Everything was exactly the way it was when I left, even the scent of fresh air still remained.

But then I saw it. I was paralyzed. The only thing I could do was let my jaw drop. Impossible. It couldn't be! There was no way...

My knees became weak as I saw _him_ pass by with not so much as a glance. Tears threatened to fall.

I spun on my heel only to see the back of his back of his head, his raven black hair shining in the afternoon sun. Had he forgotten about me? Had he forgotten about my promise to return?

Regaining my motor skills, I sprinted after him. I opened my arms and wrapped the around his fit frame.

"Sasuke!"

He just looked back emotionlessly.

"Sasuke! It's Mizuko!" I let go of him, with a slightly confused face. I thought that he would be ecstatic at the fact that I was back. But he bore a look in his eyes and I didn't like it one bit.

He wasn't smiling, No. No, something definately wasn't right.

"Sasuke? It's Mizuko... Don't you remember me?"My smile faltered a bit before I put on a fake one, hoping that maybe he will return it. It was killing me to smile like that, when all I really wanted to do was scream.

Sasuke stayed completely silent. What was going on? He didn't remember me? How could he!?

"Sasuke! I came back!" The fake smile was wiped off my face. Tears brimmed in my icy blue eyes.

Slowly, he turned and walked away, ignoring me completely. My heart stopped, my breathing became shallow, and my eyes, wide.

This wasn't the Sasuke I knew! The Sasuke I knew would smile, laugh, and hug me until I was out of breath.

"Sasuke!" I ran up to him, again. "I thought you were dead! I thought Itachi had killed everyone!"

He froze at this while I covered my mouth in horror. I shouldn't have said anything. Having those memories brought up was probably extremely painful for him. Anger was shown on his face as he walked away, once again. This time, he muttered quietly, yet harshly.

"Don't mention that name."

Hatred laced his cold words. Something was definately wrong. He would never be like this before I had left. It left me oh so confused. Had Itachi done this to him?

"Sasuke, what's wrong with you! You're not like this!"

"Look...back then...when we were younger...sure. That was great. But no matter what you may think...I'm not your friend." Those cruel words pierced my heart and soul. Ice froze over the warmth of the village. Everything was cold.

"Why are you saying this, Sasuke! What's gotten int-"

"It's completely different now. We're not kids anymore!"

He stopped to glance back for a moment before he continued on his way. About this, I had mixed emotions. One of them was definately anger, the other grief. I had lost my best friend, the only one that could make me smile so genuinely. He was the only one keeping me sane, the only one keeping me from ending it all.

"Che. Fine..." Time seemed to stop as I turned my back to him, not bothering to look back. I didn't have time for this. The world was now dark, void of all happiness.

My mind raced, thoughts of everything we had been through dancing through.

_"I hate him!"_

_"What's wrong with him!?"_

_"But why would he say that?"_

_"I missed him!"_

And only one part of my mind stayed focused on the way he said good-bye. I wanted to get back to that more than anything at that moment. The kiss. That was the greatest moment of my life.

I went to the apartment my family rented for us until we could buy a house. It was small but it would do for now. It was better than what I had before. This room had enough room for a bed **AND** a nightstand. I walked through the front door not saying a word to my mother who glared in my direction. Instead, I went straight to my 'room'.

I fell back on my pillow and closed my eyes. I turned on my side to look at my nightstand to see nothing but a wooden picture frame. My stare hardened at the photo. There were two 7 years olds, arms around eachother, giving cheesy grins to the camera. In the picture, both Sasuke and myself had joy in our eyes. The two kids looked absolutely adorable, with the young boy's hands fiddling with the girl's ebony coloured hair.

I threw it off the desk in anger and frustration, forcing the glass to shatter on impact of the wall close by. Shards flew everywhere yet managed to avoid me completely, yet one landed close by my leg. I stared at it blankly.

"But now," I said picking up the large piece of sharp glass, "It's completely different."

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**Hope you enjoyed! Buh-bye!**


	3. The Memories

**Hello! Hope you liked that last one! Did you get the ending? Haha! This one is also edited by Yumi-chan! **

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_It was a full moon and sky was full of twinkling stars. They seemed to dance with joy across the blanket of black. It would make anyone contented to see such a sight but unfortunately, not tonight. No one who would appreciate the performance was around. I ran toward the empty valley in the midst of it. Those cold and cruel words that I heard coming from they're mouths would surely be the last I hear._

_Why do they hate me so? I can't take anymore of it! Mother, Father, those kids, and thier biting words. They cut through me, deeper than any blade could. _

_I sat down, bracing myself for what was to come next. Reaching deep into my pocket I whipped out a small but sharp pocket knife. Just as the cool metal came close to me, a small hand grabbed my cold and skinny wrist._

_When I looked up, I saw a face, one of a boy. He looked friendly enough but a serious expression covered his face. He forced the knife out of my weak fingers and cast it aside. _

_"Don't do it..." He sounded concerned, as if he truly cared. Yeah right..._

_Nobody cared._

_"You don't know me! You don't have a right to say what I do! How would you know what I've been through?" I stood up and glared at him. I studied his __**onyx**__ eyes and face carefully as the moonlight shone down on the both of us. He then smiled a bit._

_"Ending it won't do anything. If you were really smart... You wouldn't do it." _

_I tugged my wrist out of his grasp. I didn't want to admit it but something in my mind confirmed that this stranger was, indeed correct. I couldn't take it. My facade broke and the tears I had locked up escaped in a wild frenzy of sobbing._

_"I can't do it anymore! I just can't take it!" I sobbed. He sat down beside me, staring with sympathy._

_"You can stay over again... here," he stuck out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. What's your name?" He smiled at me with genuine kindness. _

_I didn't know whether to smile or be ashamed. Why was this boy being so courteous? I'm just not worth it. I avoided his stare, afraid of breaking down again._

_"I-I'm Kobayashi Mizuko..." Slowly and shakily, I raised my hand to meet his. His shake was short and firm, while mine was weak, probably due to malnutrition._

_"So tell me, what would make you act like this? You don't look like someone who would ever be unhappy."_

_I trembled with anger and fear, balled up into one. _

_"Nobody loves me. My mother and father said they wished I was dead. Those kids at school tease me, call me a freak and a loser. They say that nobody would want to be my friend. Nobody. You don't know what it's like to have someone you love hate you. To wish that you were never born.. To have no friends." The beams of moonlight illuminated my tears as the slowly ran down the length of my face, to fall to the ground below._

_I then felt a pair of arms wrap around my small body. They were warm and inviting in the chill of the night. Sasuke was hugging me. Holding me. I've never been hugged like that before. It was so different but I was intoxicated by his scent. It thrilled my senses, taking over me, sending my heart into a fit. I didn't want him to let go of me. I wanted to forever stay in his arms. I closed my eyes and clutched his shoulder, doing something I had never thought I would do again. I was smiling because he cared for me..._

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I sat on my bed looking down at my mistake...The sheets of my bed were stained red with my pain.

_What have I done?_

It felt oh so right, as if was the only thing that I could do, the only thing that could help. The only one who would ever care about me no longer wants anything to do with me. This was the only way. I had nothing to lose, and nothing to gain. There was no use in living my pathetic life for someone who didn't need me anymore.

I slowly picked up the glass again, letting it dig deep into my hand and I slashed quickly at my wrist. The sorrows seemed to slip away for just a moment before they came back.

My breathing was shaky as I fell on my pillow clutching my wrists, for the pain was unbearable. Not the pain of the wound. No. My heart was in pain. It was a wound of the heart.

_Kokoro no Kizu._

I wouldn't let anyone know about this. About my self-abusive attitude. Though nobody would care anyways. I wrapped my wrist up in bandages tightly so the bleeding would come to a halt yet I could still feel the pain seep through.

My blue eyes shut slowly plunging my world into darkness. I wasn't tired but my body...my body forced me into a deep slumber.

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**The Next Day**

I walked toward Hokage-sama's office, bandages still intact from last night. None of the blood seeped through. Good. I was a ninja in my last village so the Hokage was going make me an official Konoha ninja. If he found out I cut myself, well, that wouldn't make a very good impression.

"Congratulations Mizuko. You are now a kunoichi of Konoha. The rest of your team will be arriving shortly." Hokage-sama raised his wooden pipe and puffed on it. His eyebrows, thick and white, furrowed slightly. He looked like a benevolent man, who looked after Konoha well.

I then took some time to study my surroundings. I saw the pictures of the past Hokage's faces. The men that protected the village from any harm. I then looked closer at one of their faces. He had spiky blonde hair. Yondaime. The fourth.

The door swund open on it's sqeaky hinges.

"Yo!" A silver-haired man walked through the door. His face was covered by a navy blue mask, making it hard to read him. He must have been at least a Jounin.

"Kakashi. This is Kobayashi Mizuko. She will be a new member of your team from this point on." Hokage-sama made a gesture in my direction, signalling me to introduce myself.

"Nice to meet you!" I bowed politely. It made me sick to think I had to fake a smile everday for the rest of my life. It made me wish that my life was over sooner. It probably would be, eating virtually nothing, and losing blood everyday.

"Hello, Mizuko. Let me introduce my team and myself. I'm Hatake Kakashi. This is Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and-"

_NO!_

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**YAY ANGST!** **That's right! SHE'S EMO! SHe was going to commit suicide but Sasuke stopped her! Intersting... Hn... BYE!**


	4. The New Boy

**Hello! Here is chapter 4! Edited by my beautiful-wonderful-best-sister-ever Yumi-chan. Enjoy!**

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Impossible! How? He was the very last person she wanted to see.

My polite smile melted into a fierce glare as a little blonde kid jumped in front of me. His face was definately too close for comfort. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to be the next Hokage!" He stood straight and proud putting a thumb up. He reminded me of someone.

"You?" I stopped to look at the pictures of the fourth. What similarity...

"Hn... I see. Good luck with that." I smiled softly again, forgetting about the boy still in my presence. A pink haired girl with bright green eyes stepped forward and pushed Naruto back. That was quite rude. We were getting off to a bad start already.

"Naruto! Don't bug her with your stupidity! Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura!" She put on a smile. I could tell it was fake.

"Uh... hi. I'm Kobayashi Mizuko. Nice to meet you." Yeah right. Truthfully, I didn't like this girl, at all.

"And this is Uchiha Sasuke!" She dragged him forward. "He's going to marry me! Right, Sasuke?"

What? This is where I got lost. Sasuke-teme and pinky? I don't see it. He's a cold hearted bastard and she is a perky prep. The relationship is probably only skin deep. It usually always is.

I was in a trance while Naruto and Sakura babbled on about themselves and Sasuke. Actually, a lot of what Sakura said was about him. Anger bubbled up as I fought to keep it down. She just made it so hard not to make herself a living kunai target. While this was all happening, Kakashi and Hokage-sama were discussing a mission that they would be doing soon.

I glared harshly at Sasuke who was in the middle of these discussions saying nothing at all. He thought he was so great. His eyes met mine and hardened into a stare that matched my own. Slowly, my lips formed into a smirk.

"So, Uchiha. Looks like you're pretty popular with, um, both genders."

His stare turned into an angry glare as he grit his teeth. He was still trying to act like the cool guy. Naruto then took time from arguing with Sakura to listen to the insult being thrown.

"You think I like HIM!? EW! HE'S- HE'S SASUKE!"

"Oh, but EVERYONE absolutely loves Sasuke-kun. He's the earth, he's the sun." I moved my arms dramatically in the air to stress my point. Everything in their life revolved around Uchiha Sasuke. His raven hair, onyx eyes, and his oh so cu--Woah! I cursed to myself. Those thoughts still appeared in my head, even after everything he said.

Sasuke continued to glare. He was probably trying to think of something to retort with.

I turned back to my new sensei when he had finished his conversation with Hokage-sama.

"Is there any reason for me to be here anymore?" I was anxious to leave. After thinking those thoughts, I knew I needed some sense knocked into me. Or perhaps...carved into me.

"Just a minute. Tomorrow we will do grocery shopping for Higarashi-san, babysit for the-"

"NO! No more! I won't take any of these idiotic missions! Babysitting, groceries, weed pulling! That's enough! I want to be a ninja not a housekeeper!" Naruto shouted jumping infront of Hokage-sama, making an 'X' symbol with his forearms.

"Hn... fine." Hokage-sama grunted. I was in total disbelief. Had Hokage-sama just caved to the whim of Uzumaki Naruto?

"I don't want t- What? Yes!?" Naruto's face lit up with excitement.

"Yes. You will get a C-ranked mission."

I brightened up a bit as well. I had done a couple of C-rank missions back in my old village. I had also done some B rank. My parents got the Eldars to let me, probably hoping that I wouldn't come back.

"It's nothing big. You will be protecting someone back to the mist. His name is Tazuna." Hokage-sama puffed on his pipe once more, with an amused expression on his face.

"Yosh! This'll be easy!" Naruto punched the air. To me, he was an idiot, yet for some strange reason, I was drawn to the blonde boy.

"Good. I'll be there tomorrow..." I turned towards the door, finally ready to plunge the kunai in, but a flash of orange went before my eyes, making them widen significantly.

"WAIT! You want to get ramen!?" Naruto screamed.

There was a long pause as I blinked a couple of times, a bemused expression on my face.

"I can't. I have to be home in 20 minutes." I really didn't have to go. My parents didn't care about me at all. I just needed the familiar sensation of pain. It made me shiver with anticipation thinking about it. It was my way of letting it out, my way of happiness.

"Then we spend that time together! Come on! It'll be fun!" He grabbed me by the hand gently, but firm enough to keep a good grip. It was different than what I was used to, but I liked it.

But what made me want to pull back, were the words. They were so much like the words the day before we had left. Just like his words. I stared into the blue eyes of the ninja before me, and slowly, they faded to onyx. A gasp was itching to escape from my mouth. I blinked back tears to see Naruto's cerulean eyes.

I could do nothing but surrender to the feeling of sudden nostalgia and take him by the hand.

What I didn't realize at the moment was a certain Sasuke's expression...

Pure Envy.

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**:) BYE!**


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